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Copy of letter to Lemuel B. Schofield, Special Assistant to the Attorney General from Thomas Parran, U.S. Surgeon General regarding medical services at Fort Missoula

Copy of letter to Lemuel B. Schofield, Special Assistant to the Attorney General from Thomas Parran, U.S. Surgeon General regarding medical services at Fort Missoula

C FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
0 '. 0. S, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
P WASHINGTON
Y
May 2, 19U
Mr. Lemuel B. Schofield Special Assistant to the Attorney General Immigration & Naturalization Service Department of Justice
Washington, D. G.
Dear Mr. Schofieldi
Reference is made to your letter of April 29, 194.1, 56067/440, requesting that the Public Health Service take over and operate a fifty-bed hospital in connection with alien seamen detainees at Fort Missoula,
Montana.
Under normal conditions, only'a small part of a fifty-bed hospital would be necessary to supply the hospitalisation needs for a group of 500 to 1500 able-bodied seamen detainees; therefore, the assignment of medical, nursing and other personnel necessary for the operation of a fifty-bed hospital, or the incurring of substantial expenditures for equipping and physically maintaining such a plant, seems to be an unnecessary and uneconomical procedure.
If it meets with your approval, the Public Health Service will endeavor to secure a local physician on a part-time basis to respond to any calls for medical service that may be necessary for the 500 detainees who are to be transferred to Fort Missoula within the next ten days. This would be a temporary emergency arrangement as the Public Health Service has no funds with which to defray the cost of such service beyond a very limited period of time.
Therefore, it seems necessary that the Immigration Service promptly negotiate contracts with local physicians and hospitals for the care of cases of serious illness or injury requiring hospitalisation and treatment. The Public Health Service is not authorised to negotiate such contracts, and has no funds with which to pay for any obligations incurred under contracts nude for that purpose.
To meet the needs for medical, hospital and other service over a continuing period of time for an Increasing number of detainees at Fort Missoula, and also for any detainees to be held at Fort Lincoln, it is suggested that the Immigration Service submit supplemental appropriation estimates to the proper governmental authorities with a view to obtaining the necessary funds for the over-all care of these alien seamen and securing authority permitting the transfer of necessary sums to the Public Health Service as reimbursement for salaries of Service personnel

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Copy of letter to Lemuel B. Schofield, Special Assistant to the Attorney General from Thomas Parran, U.S. Surgeon General regarding medical services at Fort Missoula

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C FEDERAL SECURITY AGENCY
0 '. 0. S, PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE
P WASHINGTON
Y
May 2, 19U
Mr. Lemuel B. Schofield Special Assistant to the Attorney General Immigration & Naturalization Service Department of Justice
Washington, D. G.
Dear Mr. Schofieldi
Reference is made to your letter of April 29, 194.1, 56067/440, requesting that the Public Health Service take over and operate a fifty-bed hospital in connection with alien seamen detainees at Fort Missoula,
Montana.
Under normal conditions, only'a small part of a fifty-bed hospital would be necessary to supply the hospitalisation needs for a group of 500 to 1500 able-bodied seamen detainees; therefore, the assignment of medical, nursing and other personnel necessary for the operation of a fifty-bed hospital, or the incurring of substantial expenditures for equipping and physically maintaining such a plant, seems to be an unnecessary and uneconomical procedure.
If it meets with your approval, the Public Health Service will endeavor to secure a local physician on a part-time basis to respond to any calls for medical service that may be necessary for the 500 detainees who are to be transferred to Fort Missoula within the next ten days. This would be a temporary emergency arrangement as the Public Health Service has no funds with which to defray the cost of such service beyond a very limited period of time.
Therefore, it seems necessary that the Immigration Service promptly negotiate contracts with local physicians and hospitals for the care of cases of serious illness or injury requiring hospitalisation and treatment. The Public Health Service is not authorised to negotiate such contracts, and has no funds with which to pay for any obligations incurred under contracts nude for that purpose.
To meet the needs for medical, hospital and other service over a continuing period of time for an Increasing number of detainees at Fort Missoula, and also for any detainees to be held at Fort Lincoln, it is suggested that the Immigration Service submit supplemental appropriation estimates to the proper governmental authorities with a view to obtaining the necessary funds for the over-all care of these alien seamen and securing authority permitting the transfer of necessary sums to the Public Health Service as reimbursement for salaries of Service personnel